ever heard of Ammolite?

[Skylah]

I was watching an episode of GemStones on the learning channel a few days ago, and it was facinating! I'd never heard of ammolite before.

Originally they were sea creatures referred to as Ammonites. They were quite large and looked kind of like a snail, but with squid like tentacles around their mouths.

As they died, their snail-like shells fell to the bottom of the sea and were eventually covered in and compacted by sediment, fossilized, and now look like bright opals. The brightest ones having been buried the deepest. They're being mined in Alberta now.

I wish I had a picture to post... the vibrant reds and greens... WOW !

Blessings,
-Skylah

[Cake-eating_Moth]

I've heard of Ammonites, but I don't believe they are gemstones by any means. I'm wondering why they would really include that in a gemstone documentary. They are mearly fossilized animals; I mean unless someone can find a use for them, okay, that's all good. More power to them.

[RainInanna]

I got an ammonite pendant a few weeks ago, but it's not brightly coloured. It resembles a nautilus shell.

[Skylah]

I had those thoughts during the show, but as it progressed, they showed how it's mined and the process for turning into really beautiful jewellery. Apparently the jewellery is really popular in Asia, but hasn't caught on here in North America.

[Shawn Blackwolf]

I am looking at one right now...

It is only an inch long , just about as wide , in a spiral...a gift to me ,
from an Irishman of the Faery Fayth , many years ago...

I carried it with me for years...irradescent , and beautiful...

Yes , it looks like a gemstone...

It represents the healer's spiral path...

[Wolfsong]

They are actually not that rare as anyone who lives in the area knows... at least pieces aren't. One of the extraction locations is about 7 hrs from me and i have collected there 2 times. in about 4 hours of total looking I have found several broken pieces and one small intact specimen.

anyways.... here is the scoop...

The Ammonite Placenticeras Intercalare & Meeki found only in the Bearpaw Shales of southeastern Alberta is unique amongst the worlds Ammonite fossils in that it has been preserved by geological and mineralogical processes that have transformed the mother-of-pearl (Aragonite) of the inner shell into a material that has been designated by the International Association of Colored Gemstones (and other international gem organizations) as the precious gem - Ammolite. The gemstone covering of the fossil Ammonite greatly enhances the value to the collector.

Gemstone Ammonites having the full spiral shape and complete gem coverage are relatively new to the worlds collector markets. The industry is less than 20 years old and mechanized mining activity for Ammolite gem material produces few gem grade fossils. The fossils uncovered are often not complete or have deteriorated beyond the possibility of restoration. Many are broken up to provide raw material for the manufacture of loose gemstones. The few specimens that are on the market command high prices.

Ammonite shell is comprised primarily of aragonite with trace elements of aluminium, barium, chromium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, silicon, strontium, titanium and vanadium. The spectral property of the mineral aragonite that allows us to see the incredible play of colors across its surface is its iridescence. The shell surface is composed of closely-packed, tabular, hexagonal crystals of aragonite oriented with their c-axis vertical to the shell surfaces and united into thin lamellae (plates or scales). The thickness of these lamellae is of the same magnitude as the wavelengths of the spectral colors which make up white light. Thus, when white light (sunlight) enters the regularly-spaced thin layers of aragonite, diffraction occurs, and flashes of spectral colors are seen. As the plates of aragonite crystals vary in thickness with the addition of the trace elements which are randomly arranged and is interspersed with inclusions of organic material (conchiolin) the intensity of the diffracted colors also varies. The best Ammonite shell will have brilliant, vibrant iridescence, continually dancing with changing colors as the angle of the incident light changes.

The color of most Gemstone Ammonites changes dependent on the angle of light entering and the viewers perspective. Sometimes subtle, and sometimes spectacularly dramatic, a chromatic shift occurs. Most red will shift to green and most green will shift blue, etc. This is called dichromatic. Some gem material will have the shift restricted to hues within the same primary color group. This is monochromatic. The best gem material has spectrochromatic shift. Color will shift through the entire spectrum depending on light source and your angle of observation.


Hope the above helps...

[Skylah]

Wow, yeah that helps a lot. Thanks Wolfsong!

[Wolfsong]

I'm not sure if they still have it but anyone visiting Calgary Alberta may want to stop by Green's Lapidary... on the wall behind the counter they have (had) a complete specimen of this that if I remember right was about a meter or so in diameter... It was/is one of the most amazing pieces you will ever see.